In his Tree-Ring Lab, David Sauchyn has built a 1,000-year record of the water balance on the northern plains by analyzing the growth of trees at 224 sites. This record of pre-industrial hydroclimate provides a unique perspective on current climate changes. While the numerical climate models can replicate historical temperature trends, they perform less well with the simulation of precipitation and related variables. Our understanding of how climate change is affecting soil and surface hydrology depends on the model, assumptions about the human influence and especially how well the models can simulate the natural variability captured by the tree rings. Future scenarios from climate models should be used with a knowledge of these sources of uncertainty, and Sauchyn’s presentation will focus on how these climate models may point to where Prairie climate may be headed in the future.